Joan Rivers, the opinionated and loud host of “Fashion Police,” died Thursday after a surgical procedure on her vocal cords. 

Rivers stopped breathing during the surgery, and the complications led to a reported cardiac arrest. She was put into a medically induced coma from which she did not wake up. Her family made the hard decision to take her off of life support yesterday afternoon. 

Melissa Rivers, Rivers’ daughter, released a statement according to ABC News that expressed her appreciation for the staff at Mount Sinai hospital, where Joan Rivers was a patient.

“She passed peacefully at 1:17 p.m. surrounded by family and close friends. My son and I would like to thank the doctors, nurses and staff of Mount Sinai Hospital for the amazing care they provided for my mother,” she said. 

Melissa Rivers said she and her son are thankful for the support they are receiving at this hard time.

“Cooper and I have found ourselves humbled by the outpouring of love, support and prayers we have received from around the world. They have been heard and appreciated,” she said. “My mother’s greatest joy in life was to make people laugh. Although that is difficult to do right now, I know her final wish would be that we return to laughing soon.” 

Joan Rivers was known for being a sassy, controversial comedian who was a staple on the red carpet. Rivers got her start as a stand-up comedian, and she then rose to become the first female late night show host. She later won an Emmy for her daytime talk show, “The Joan Rivers Show,” and wrote 12 best-selling comedic and memoir books. Among these accomplishments she also found the time to appear in several television shows like “Big Brother,” “Nip Tuck” and “Celebrity Apprentice.”

Rivers was a friend to many. Bette Midler, a fellow comedian, paid homage to the late comedian by tweeting, “Joan Rivers has died.  What a sad ending to a brilliant and tragi-comic life; one of the bravest and funniest of all.”

Rivers dealt with difficult and dark times with humor, and her blunt humor was not intended to be taken seriously.

Rivers is quoted as saying “I enjoy life when things are happening. I don’t care if it’s good things or bad things. That means you’re alive.” 

The world lost a wonderful woman who broke through the comedy world for all women. She will be missed by many.